sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States
Feel Like You Belong TV is your source for real stories about the real people we call migrants. They may be the seasonal workers who traverse the country picking our daily produce.* They may be the expatriates who come on temporary assignment for their multinational companies. Or they may be the intrepid** souls who have committed to calling these United States their new homeland.
People have been migrating since time immemorial.*** They have moved for safety from earthquakes and drought. From war and disease. From persecution and economic hardship. They have the same characteristics as our immigrant forebears who gave up the familiarity and comfort of home in order to take risks and build a better life.
Join us here every week with these heroic storytellers and learn about what it is that still makes America a destination for entrepreneurs and risk-takers. The people who moved themselves and their families across deserts and oceans. People who add to each new generation’s vibrancy**** and can-do spirit. Welcome to Feel Like You Belong.
Javier Olvera is the president and owner of Supermercado Mexico in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He joins us to tell his own immigrant story, talk about the joys and challenges of business ownership, and share his vision for Hispanic entrepreneurship in his adopted city.
Mohammad "Mo" Ehsani came to the U.S. in the 1970s to study technology. After a distinguished career as professor of civil engineering, he is off to tackle some of the world's biggest problems. An indefatigable engineer with the wrap on very important solutions!
He was the only boy in the local dance school, and in the Dominican Republic, that can leave you open to teasing. But Ednis Gomez fell in love with the self-expression of movement, practiced hard, and danced himself into a full-time career. After four years in Michigan's only professional dance company, the American Midwest is starting to feel like home.
Austrian-born Michael Auer merges two careers into a new art form, and the Grand Rapids Ballet is ever the better for it. Join us for a look at the intersection of professional dance and technology.
How do you know if you have what it takes to become a professional ballet dancer? Give it a try, says dancer Yuka Oba. Taking her own advice, this peripatetic ballerina has pursued her dream from Japan to the U.K. to Slovakia, and finally to Grand Rapids, Michigan where she is in her seventh season taking on challenging roles and new ways to embrace the diversity the world's choreographers have to offer.
The world is a complicated canvas of varying views, realities, and expectations. The next two installments in the Grand Rapids Ballet's innovative contemporary dance series, MOVEMEDIA, will explore and celebrate these beautiful differences. Experience thought-provoking panel discussions and powerful community outreach bookended by complementary world-premiere works by some of today’s most important choreographers. For tickets, visit grballet.com. Performances February/March 2018.
As a teenage immigrant, Ace Marasigan wanted no part of the United States. His older brothers were back in his native Philippines, as was the security of home, culture, and language. Yet he persisted, with the help of the local Filipino community. He formed a rock band and focused on making Grand Rapids his new home. Fast forward to today: Ace is the downtown manager of Old National Bank, where he has the time to look out onto his city and dream of a second successful Downtown Asian Festival. Just the kind of belonging he wants to create for his son.
Attorney Raquel Salas understands the ins and outs of immigration and cultural adaptation, having moved to the U.S. over a decade ago from her native Dominican Republic. She uses that lived experience as a newcomer along with her native Spanish language skills to counsel immigrants in the intricacies of American criminal law. She joins us to talk about culture, belonging, and the myths that surround the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, DACA for short.
Abe Carrillo is a proud son of Mexican immigrants and proud employee at Herman Miller where he is Director for Diversity & Global Inclusiveness. He joins us to talk about the hard work of immigrants and the inspiring community work that Herman Miller is engaged in.
Singer-songwriter Myra Maimoh is as comfortable on stage with a microphone as she is with a warm cup around the coffee table. The Cameroonian-born mother of three laughs easily and genuinely while recounting her youth in Central Africa, singing in church and in girl bands. She takes the stage in our studio to share an original composition from her recent album and shares how this formerly cold city of Grand Rapids is rapidly becoming home. Come for the music; stay for the conversation!
Do you play the lottery? Does the money really go to charitable causes? How many billions are at stake, and do various state and national lotteries pay their fair share of taxes? Journalism professor Jeff Kelly Lowenstein talks about investigative reporting and the global lottery industry.
As a boy, young Alfred Lessing was like most other children in his native Netherlands. He played with friends and loved his family. But there was one difference: he was Jewish. So when the Nazis overran his country in 1940, his mother sprang into action. Her one goal: save the family from extermination. In this three-part interview, Dutch immigrant Fred Lessing talks of love, hiding, and what we can learn from human atrocities. Interview: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
DACA recipient Kevin Vazquez talks about what it means to live in the shadows of the United States, his adopted homeland. As the Trump administration moves toward deporting 800,000 Dreamers, fears grow in the immigrant community. One young man's personal story.
Pakistani-born Simin Beg is a mom and wife, a physician, and a practicing Muslim. She offers her insights on straddling cultures, palliative medicine, and everyday faith.
A 13-year-old Serbian boy and his mother flee worn-torn Bosnia. Young refugee Mlado Ivanović spends his teen years trying to adapt to Austrian culture and the German language. Beginning his PhD studies in the U.S., he connects his passion and his life's work: teaching American students about the worldwide refugee crisis and what they can do about it.
Refugees often find themselves warehoused in makeshift camps for years – or even decades. The lucky ones are eventually resettled by a generous nation to start a new life. But new struggles – especially for older refugees – then begin: trying to learn a strange language, adapting to new climates and customs. Who is the best to help with the daily tasks that natives take for granted: driver's license, bank forms, job applications, healthcare appointments, school registration for kids? It's often fellow refugees who came before. Like Leela Dhakal.
When Christine Mwangi's family won the U.S. visa lottery, they thought they were the lucky ones. Turns out the United States hit the jackpot when young Christine landed on its shores to become a role model for us all. The young pharmacist shares her story of inspiration and meeting the needs of women across the nation and the world.
An Aussie/Kiwi couple moves from Down Under to Up Over. Pamela and Craig Benjamin discuss their personal mid-life moves. Changing hemispheres and changing careers in the land of opportunity.
It was not an easy decision for Huynh Tran to put down his architect's dream in order to remold himself as a healer. The young Vietnamese refugee worked long hours to put himself, first, through architecture training, then, through medical training. Committed to giving back to the community that embraced him, Dr. Tran formed a medical philanthropy that ministers to underserved community and trains overseas physicians to improve their caregiving skills.
As a young kid, Adam Khafif was already developing a sense for business, working in his off-school hours for the family's cookie business. In high school, he launched a streetwear company, completing his first sale – to his aunt! With the dauntless spirit of an entrepreneur, Adam sharpened his focus, majoring in business at Babson College and cementing his vision for his LSNP clothing line. Today, he sells hip clothing, all the while incorporating his core values that set LisnUp apart in a very competitive industry.
Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.
